Eldouirs are raised to value family above all else. Not loyalty to kingdom, not loyalty to self, but loyalty to family. It is the foundation upon which they managed to survive the Gifted War, and has been a nebulus that has drawn the varied family members together again and again and again. Eldouir children are essentially brainwashed from the time they begin to talk to put family above all else. They don't have to like it, but it is atypical for Eldouirs to try to be independent or go against the grain. They've been taught that there is strength when they are together. Within this mentality is the submission to the head of the family. 
SUB-VALUE: Power. Beyond sticking with family, almost all Eldouirs strive to be more powerful tomorrow than they were today, to grow in their abilities, to set themselves in a place where no others can reach them.

The Head of the Eldouir family is the individual who calls the shots in every way. The Eldouirs function much like a kingdom within themselves, and the Head is the absolute monarchy. The Head is typically the oldest living family member, with some exceptions. The family would never follow a nongifted Eldouir, nor would they prefer to listen to one with a gift that is not considered powerful.

Eldouir children know who their parents are, even though their parents are likely not the ones raising them. They are raised by Eldouirs who do not have powers or by ones who have powers that are better suited to layman's jobs. Some parents choose to be a part of their kids' lives, most do not. The children are trained in combat and academics starting at the age of four, and they are also tested for magic early on. Most have their power unveiled by seven or eight. There are always some exceptions. Once their gift is revealed they are then trained as is appropriate for their gift. All Eldouirs continue combative training until 18, at which point those more suited for a soldier's life continue on that path, joining the Royal Legion. If their gift is not good for battle but still useful then they are continued on through academics and trained in propriety in order to be political assets.

As children, the Eldouirs are always in competition, being ranked among themselves according to gift ability and combative ability. They are taught to draw blood from a young age, rendering them aggressive and dangerous.

Following the same guidelines as Lorendale, the Eldouirs consider a man and woman mature at 16. The two most recent generations of Eldouirs were collared at this age. They do not have coming out parties for members of their family, and do not wait until 18 to procreate.

In Eldouir history, it was the norm to marry a cousin and sometimes a sibling. After the Gifted War, when collars rest on their throats, Malachi's grandchildren were no longer married off, but instead had children with one another. Cousins and siblings were bred in a "pairing" process to bolster Eldouir numbers. Now that collars have been removed, the family is moving back towards a traditional approach to marriage: marry for wealth, power, and above all else, marry another gifted. It would still be preferable for them to wed a cousin and keep the Eldouir blood (and color) strong, but powerful gifteds from the outside will not be frowned upon, provided they intend to come into the family.

Hiram Eldouir is the head of the family.

While Eldouirs were typically contracted out according to the usefulness of their gift, the family as a whole was considered a military unit, with every individual having been trained diligently in the art of combat from the time they were young. Most Eldouirs with gifts have been channeled in this direction, though there are some that truly cannot be effective in that arena, thus some Eldouirs find themselves traveling in different spheres.

Eldouirs are Marquis and Marchionesses.


The Eldouir estate is a grand establishment set extremely close to Loren. Though they do not work their land, they possess a great stretch of it, open plains used for magic practice. Due to their decades of contracts with the monarchy and other nobles, the Eldouirs are not hurting for gold. They have it in copious amounts, yet some do not dress or live in a way that reflects this, as the last two generations were regarded as commoners in the kingdom.

The Eldouirs basically have their own private kingdom within their estate. The entire thing is surrounded by a very high, thick stone wall with one gate that is guarded by mercenaries hired by the family. No one enters or exits without the guards being aware (granted, some gifteds can fly/teleport in/out so there are exceptions). It is not Eldouir culture, nor is it really acceptable, to bring people into the estate--with exceptions. Exceptions would be: the head doing it, the head approving it, and that's about it. They are highly protective of their home and people. Those coming in might be enemies scouting out their lands, seeking to destroy them.




Under the rule of King Julius I, as a direct result of oppression and persecution, an eruption of violence between Gifteds and non led to many innocent bystanders becoming casualties. The fight started small and personal, but before long the blood was running through the streets. The outcome was uncertain until the gifted Eldouir family, under the headship of Malachi, made a deal with the crown and switched sides, joining the nongifted forces to bring the Gifted under heel. Every last rebelling Gifted was put to death, and the Eldouirs became the collared "dogs" of the kingdom, having traded their freedom for survival.

Eldouirs were very different than other collared gifteds. They were still controlled by the collar and the Sister Ring, but the family was paid for the services of the individuals. That was a part of the deal they struck with the crown. They were "free" (besides not having control of their own magic) and they could work or not. An Eldouir could quit his/her job. They did not sleep in shackles and dungeons or servant quarters. Most, with exceptions, returned home at the end of the work day like anyone else.

Eldouirs used to kill other gifteds. Remember their history, that they turned against the other gifteds in order to secure their survival. They were still doing that up until recently. If other gifted families start up then their usefulness to the crown is threatened. Years ago they adamantly hunted and killed other gifteds. These days they just don't like them.

Malachi and his 4 remaining children died in the collapse of a wing of the estate. Following this tragedy, Hiram took headship over the family. Some months later, with Eldouir backing, @nya became queen of Lorendale and promptly removed the collars from the throats of gifteds and set the Eldouirs as governors over them.

The Eldouirs backed Marjolaine Rainecourt-Teake as she fought for her daughter's right to reign as queen, and under the queen regent the family has been even more empowered.

OTHER
Currently N/A.